Billy's Budds

This also brings to mind my Dad. Ad naseum I've gone on about him, but here is my interesting thought. Gallo and I longtemps ago had discussions about or fathers and the impact they have left on us. I always complain about myself never having watched my Dad in the garden when he was alive. All that knowledge lost. Gallo lost his father real early (7yo), and we talked about even though we didn't have them for long, simply being around them hopefully has rubbed stuff off.

So why posted here? Red tomato memories of time reeled out:

Ah, and tomato time had to end. The cold weather* of late has reminded me of the grand effort from last Fall to save all of my tomato plants from the freeze. I had planted my tomato's real late last year, and so there were tonnes on the vine when the freeze came. This year my diligence in getting them into the soil quick in June plus the perfect hot and rainy weather means the supercrop I have. However, all things must pass (all things must pass away), and my vines have basically been exhausted producing what they have. However, they still have time to change those green fruit into red before the real freeze happens.

Which brings up my Dad and learning.

Lat years effort to save the grand majority of the crop involved putting up giant old sheets and plastic wraps (for insulation) all over the tomato's in an effort to keep'm warm 'till morning. I pulled back some of the fruit, but most died. This was what Dad did all the time this season of the year. The first frost nite would always be a big deal 'cause Dad have to cover the plants after he got home from work and before nite fell.

But that Dude would go much further. He grew roses, and the end of the growing season would mean that he would totally wrap them up in old rags to stave off the worst of our Continental winters. He would have those old oil drums that Chicago Street and San had us using as garbage cans in the 70's filled with dirt in the basement. In these he had 'canon bulbs' -I'm not sure of the real name for these plants- in the dirt again protecting them from the winter.

So, I paid enough attention to do the "first frost" thing. I also know the value of weeding- probably more than anything, a single summoned image of father is him on three/fours pulling dandelions out of the lawn. D'accord, I wish I'd paid more attention.

But, we move on.

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*= context is everything